FLORIDA LAND STEWARD UPDATE 4/12/19

REGISTER NOW FOR THE 46TH SAF/SFRC SPRING SYMPOSIUM: 
"FAMILY FORESTS: SUSTAINING A LEGACY"
April 30 - May 1, 2019 at the Roland T. Stern Learning Center
UF Austin Cary Forest Campus
Sponsored by the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation
and the Florida Division Society of American Foresters    

Forest landowners, foresters, and natural resource professionals are encouraged to attend! We’ll explore topics and strategies that landowners and forestry and natural resource professionals in a variety of sectors can use to help family forests remain productive and intact into the future, and provide for the many benefits valued by family forest landowners and society. Topics will include landowner associations, forest product markets, new landscape planning approaches, forest certification, economics, hurricane recovery, genetically improved southern pines, wildlife habitat provisions, intergenerational land transfer, and more! Reduced registration price for forest landowners and Society of American Foresters members.

Details and registration online: https://46-saf-sfrc-spring-symposium.eventbrite.com

Foresters, this event is approved for 7.5 Cat. 1 and 2.0 Cat. 2 SAF CFEs!



FUNDING AVAILABLE TO COVER CONSULTANT FOREST STEWARDSHIP MANAGEMENT PLAN PREPARATION
The Florida Forest Service has received funding to help cover the costs for private natural resource consultants to write Forest Stewardship plans covering hurricane resiliency and/or longleaf pine management. Eligible Stewardship plans must include information and recommendations related to: forest resilience and recovery following hurricanes, forest and landowner preparedness for hurricanes, and/or resources available to assist private forest landowners following hurricanes and/or longleaf pine establishment, restoration, improvement, and management for landowners with longleaf stands or those who want to establish longleaf pine on appropriate sites.

Compensation rates and additional information are provided in the Forest Stewardship Program Consultant Plan Preparation Agreement available at: https://forms.freshfromflorida.com/11268.pdf. This form also serves as the application for reimbursement. All applications that meet requirements as described above will be considered in the order in which they are received. Please contact Jennifer Tucker-Jenks at Jennifer.Tucker-Jenks@FreshFromFlorida.com or your county forester for more information. Find your county forester at https://www.freshfromflorida.com/CountyForester


CAMP KIDS-IN-THE-WOODS AT AUSTIN CARY FOREST
Is your rising 7th-10th grade son or daughter looking for fun adventure this summer?  Consider Camp Kids in the Woods! Campers will conduct various field explorations led by local scientists from forestry, wildlife, and water resources. Highlights include: fishing, handling wildlife, exploring local ecosystems, a trip to a local spring, camping out one night at the Austin Cary Forest, building wildlife nesting boxes, and participating in games and scavenger hunts. After a week of fun in the forest, campers gain a better understanding and deeper appreciation of their natural world and what is required to be a good steward of the environment. Camp Kids in the Woods summer program is a collaborative effort between the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the USDA Forest Service.

Session 1: June 10-14, 2019; Session 2: June 24-28, 2019. Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Free extended hours available to help fit your schedule.

Ages: Rising 7th graders to rising 10th graders

Location: Austin Cary Forest, 10625 NE Waldo Rd, Gainesville, FL 32609. Shuttle service available for a small fee.

Cost: $235

For more information and to register visit: www.campkidsinthewoods.org 

To contact the Camp Director Molly Disabb, email kidsinthewoods@ifas.ufl.edu or call 352-378-2451. ​


PRESCRIBED BURN ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FROM WILDLAND RESTORATION INTERNATIONAL, ATTACK-ONE FIRE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, TALL TIMBERS RESEARCH STATION, AND ALACHUA CONSERVATION TRUST
Wildland Restoration International (WRI) and Attack-One Fire Management Services are providing prescribed burn assistance to landowners participating in USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs. These organization has been awarded funding from the Endowment for Forestry and Communities to help landowners implement prescribed burning practices funded by the NRCS. Representatives from these organizations are available to meet onsite with landowners to discuss their goals and assist with prescribed burn prescription and implementation.

WRI is funded to assist landowners in all counties east and south of Hamilton, Columbia, Gilchrist, and Dixie, extending down through the whole peninsula, excluding Monroe and Miami-Dade counties. Landowners in these counties, with a NRCS contract that includes prescribed burning, are encouraged to contact Ryan Kennelly, WRI Fire Program Coordinator, ryan.kennelly@wildlandrestoration.org, (352) 373-0550

Attack-One Fire Management Services is funded to assist landowners in Suwanee, Lafayette, Taylor, Madison Counties, and west across the Panhandle, and throughout the state of Georgia. Attack-One can also assist landowners with current or former NRCS contracts if active gopher tortoise habitat is present. Contact Kevin Carter, kevin@attack-one.com, (850) 926-6534

Tall Timbers Research Station is now funded by a Longleaf Legacy Landscape project to provide fire consultation, planning, and implementation to private landowners in the Florida Panhandle from Pensacola to Lake City and in west Georgia as far north as the Chattahoochee Fall Line (Columbus, GA). Contact Matt Snider, msnider@talltimbers.org, (912) 704-5732.

Alachua Conservation Trust has a prescribed fire specialist available to assist private landowners with burn planning in Alachua, Putnam, Marion, Levy, Bradford, Clay and portions of Flagler, Volusia, Lake, Sumter, and Citrus Counties. Contact Barry Coulliette at act.barryc@gmail.com


INCOME TAX DEDUCTION ON TIMBER AND LANDSCAPE TREE LOSS FROM CASUALTY AND TIMBER TAX TIPS FOR THE 2018 TAX YEAR
Timber or landscape trees destroyed by a hurricane, tornado, fire or other disaster are "casualty losses" that may allow the property owners to take a deduction on their federal income tax returns. See https://timbertax.org/ for guidance on this as well as the annual timber tax tips for 2018 filing from USDA Forest Service tax specialist Linda Wang.


FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE ANNOUNCES NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR OPEN BURNING IN HURRICANE MICHAEL IMPACTED AREAS
Due to the massive amounts of tree debris on the ground throughout the area affected by Hurricane Michael, the FDACS Florida Forest Service has new requirements for open burning in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty and Washington Counties. The Florida Forest Service created two geographical zones, primary and secondary, to identify hurricane-impacted areas with specific open burning requirements. Burning within the heavy impact zone will require pile burner certification. Details on the zones and requirements here.


FAMILY FORESTS BOOK AVAILABLE AT THE UF/IFAS BOOKSTORE
Get your copy of Family Forests – Portraits of Private Land Stewardship in Florida by Chris Demers, UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation. This full-color publication puts a face on private forest stewardship in our great state, and provides ample references and resources that can assist with land management efforts. 

Now available at the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore online at:
http://ifasbooks.ifas.ufl.edu/p-1433-family-forests.aspx

ONGOING INITIATIVES / SERVICES / OPPORTUNTIES
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FLORIDA LAND STEWARD CALENDAR OF EVENTS

http://floridalandsteward.org/calendar.html

FLORIDA LAND STEWARD PARTNERS WEB MAP TOOL

Use this web tool to identify resources and assistance at a local watershed scale. The map is at this link: http://viewer.apps.pflcc.databasin.org/v1/index.html.

More about this effort and how to use the tool here.

REPORT BOBWHITE QUAIL AND OTHER WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS

To help restore the state’s northern bobwhite quail populations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking private landowners to report sightings of bobwhite quail on their land. Report northern bobwhite quail sightings at MyFWC.com/QuailSighting

The FWC also seeks reports of these species:

• Report chipmunk sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/chipmunk/getlatlong.aspx
• Report panther sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/PantherSightings/getlatlong.aspx
• Report mink sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/mink/getlatlong.aspx
• Report black bear sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/blackbear/getlatlong.aspx
• Report southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis extenuata), and Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus) here:
  https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/raresnakes/UserHome.aspx?id= 

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES? - CHECK OUT THE NEW DIAGNOSTICS FORUM

Hosted by a group of forest and tree health specialists with Southeastern universities and agencies, we are here to help identify pests and diseases in your forest or your backyard, and to recommend a solution, if appropriate. Join the group and report your tree health issue!

Visit the new Forest Health Diagnostic forum on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthernTreeHealthDiagnostics/

FOREST STEWARDSHIP VIDEOS - VIEW AND SHARE!

All the latest videos are on the Florida Forest Stewardship Program home page:

http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship

GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM?

Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities.

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC?

Check the vast array of extension publications available through UF/IFAS on the EDIS publication site:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/  Wow, there’s a publication about that?

UF/IFAS SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION EXTENSION PROGRAMS

See http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension

FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES WEBINARS

For a calendar of upcoming webinars in a variety of land management topics see:

http://www.forestrywebinars.net/webinar-calendar/month#.T-zLkBhgZys.blogger

SOUTHERN REGION EXTENSION FORESTRY

See http://sref.info/ for the latest news, tools and offerings.

NEED A LOAN TO FUND CONSERVATION PROJECTS? CHECK OUT THE USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY'S GUARANTEED CONSERVATION LOAN PROGRAM

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) guarantees loans to promote conservation practices on farms and ranches that help protect natural resources. The goal of FSA’s Conservation Loan (CL) program is to provide access to credit for farmers who need and want to implement conservation measures on their land, but do not have the “up front” funds available to implement these practices. For more information see this Conservation Loan Program Fact Sheet. Also see this table summarizing FSA farm loan opportunities.

The Conservation Contract Program is a program for eligible landowners that protects important natural resources and other sensitive areas while providing a debt management tool. A conservation contract is available to people with Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct loans secured by real estate. These individuals may qualify for a reduction of their FSA indebtedness in exchange for a conservation contract with a term of 50, 30 or 10 years. The conservation contract is a voluntary legal agreement that restricts the type and amount of development that may take place on portions of the landowner’s property. Contracts may be established on marginal cropland and other environmentally sensitive lands for conservation, recreation and wildlife purposes. For more information see this Conservation Contract Program Fact Sheet.

The FSA provides several types of farm loans. For more information on these opportunities, see the Florida FSA Website or contact your local FSA office to speak with a local representative